Roy Woods is an open book on his new EP, Dark Nights, out via OVO Sound.
The moody project was preceded by the soul-baring single “Stay With Me.”
“I’ve been through some real sh*t lately,” Woods says of Dark Nights. “This is the first time I’m letting it all out — not just for me, but for anyone who’s ever felt betrayed or broken. These songs are my way of healing.”
On “What I Used To Get Into,” Woods opens up about his past shortcomings in relationships, ensuring that he’s since grown and vows to prove it through his actions. “All the trouble that I used to get in, my baby / Had to grow up real quick / I been different lately / Baby girl, I’m just tryna tell you / Matter fact, I should probably show you / I would never do the things that I used to, baby,” he sings.
“Disrespectful,” co-produced by Prezident Jeff and Dimi, sees Woods giving his ultimatum to a lover who has not done right by him: “Girl, you’re so disrespectful / You keep talkin’ over me / No manners, think you special, oh / But you sexin’ everybody.”
The closing track, “Tell Me What I’m Living For,” dwells on constantly being on the losing side of love. “Tell me, baby, what I’m livin’ for? / If every time I find somebody new, it ends up worse / Always givin’ love when no one shows me what I’m worth,” Woods croons.
Dark Nights is the follow-up to Woods’ Rolling Stone EP, released in December 2024. Whereas Dark Nights is more downcast and introspective in tone, Rolling Stone feels more vibrant and carefree with tracks like “Rockstar Baby” and “Hold Still.”
In a 2024 interview with Rated R&B, Woods hinted that his next project following Rolling Stone would add context as to why he wanted to have more fun. If they were movies, Dark Nights would be the prequel.
“I’m dropping a full album that is going to explain the fun — why I just want to have fun, why I want to be free, [and] why I don’t want to be vulnerable right now,” Woods told Rated R&B. “You’re going to hear those stories of how I feel about the girls that I’m talking about — there’s only two actually — and what drove me to go f—ing insane over them [and] what makes me say all those things into getting into Rolling Stone.”
Stream Roy Woods’ new EP Dark Nights below.